Who is Ali Price: Ten things you should know about the Scotland scrum-half

Ali Price has steadily improved throughout his career, with his stock rising while at Glasgow Warriors in the scrum-half position. Now, he is an integral member of Scotland’s starting line-up alongside Stuart Hogg and Finn Russell, dictating play with his lightning-quick decisions.

Below, we find out a little more about Ali Price and his rise to Scotland’s starting 15.

Ten things you should know about Ali Price

1. Born in King’s Lynn in England, Price qualifies for Scotland through his mother. He has extended family in South Ayrshire.

2. Price stands at 5 ft 10 in (178cm), weighing 12 st 8lbs (80kg). Price is known for sharp and nimble play from his scrum-half position.

3. Joining Glasgow Warriors from Bedford Blues ahead of the 2013-14 season, Price signed as part of their Elite Development Programme. As part of the deal, Price played for Stirling County for four years. It wasn’t until December 2015 that he graduated from the Scottish Rugby Academy, signing his first professional contract with Glasgow.

4. Educated at Wisbech Grammar School in Cambridgeshire, Price was a talented all-round sportsman. Speaking on Price’s rise to Scotland’s first team, his teacher Phil Webb said: “It became clear that he was a very good rugby player, a very good cricketer and a very good hockey player.

“This was shown up well when the school went on a tour to Barbados and Ali impressed many over there with his skills in all three sports. He was also in the school athletics team and he was just one of those kids who you could see had the talent to go on to quite a high level.”

When did Ali Price make his debut for Scotland?

5.  Price made his Scotland debut in November 2016, during a 43-16 win against Georgia at Rugby Park in Kilmarnock. He was 23 when he made his debut. 

6. Winning McCrea Financial Services Player of the Season for the 2016-17 at Glasgow Warriors’ annual awards night, the scrum-half repeated the feat again in the 2018-19 season. In the first of those two seasons, Price helped the Warriors to a first European Champions Cup quarter-final, while putting in consistently high performances in the latter season earned him the award.

7. Playing in Scotland’s opening 2019 Rugby World Cup fixture against Ireland, Price sustained a foot injury that curtailed his tournament.

8. An avid gamer, Price also enjoys table tennis during time off from rugby, utilising more of his all-round sporting ability.

9. At the beginning of his rugby career, Price was nicknamed ‘Sonic’ due to his sharp turn of pace, but more importantly his spiky hair. More recently, his infectious smile earns him the nickname ‘Smiler’ at Glasgow.

10. Lions selection, like so many other players, is the ultimate goal for the scrum-half. With the 2021 tour approaching, Price remains within firm contention of realising this goal with consistently impressive performances for Scotland.

Can’t get to the shops? Download the digital edition of Rugby World straight to your tablet. Subscribe to the print edition for delivery of the magazine straight to your door.

Follow Rugby World on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.